sarcasm

英文詞源

sarcasm

sarcasm: [16] A sarcastic remark is etymologically one which involves the ‘rending of flesh’. Greek sárx meant ‘flesh’ (it has given English sarcoma [17] and sarcophagus), and it formed the basis of a verb sarkázein ‘tear the flesh’, hence ‘bite one’s lip, gnash one’s teeth’, and by further extension ‘make a cutting remark’. This gave rise to the late Greek derivative sarkasmós, which passed into English via late Latin sarcasmos and French sarcasme.
=> sarcoma, sarcophagus

sarcasm (n.)

1570s, sarcasmus, from Late Latin sarcasmus, from late Greek sarkasmos "a sneer, jest, taunt, mockery," from sarkazein "to speak bitterly, sneer," literally "to strip off the flesh," from sarx (genitive sarkos) "flesh," properly "piece of meat," from PIE root *twerk- "to cut" (cognates: Avestan thwares "to cut"). Current form of the English word is from 1610s. For nuances of usage, see humor.